1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a post-application expanding composition for application to keratin fibers, preferably hair, more preferably the hair of the scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes, and most preferably the eyelashes. The composition comprises an agent which due to its volatility, will expand after it is applied to hair (“a volatile agent”), a film forming agent and, optionally, a colorant, preferably a pigment. The present invention also provides a method for imparting a volumizing effect to hair of the scalp, eyebrows or eyelashes by applying thereto a post-application expanding composition in accordance with the invention.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior to the present invention, personal care preparations for the volumizing of hair, in particular eye lashes, employed the use of mascara in a building fashion. That is, several coats had to be applied to gain the desired volume or expansion effect. Depending on the type of mascara product and consumer preferences, the amount of manipulation required could be quite extensive. This is evident in the large number of brush strokes needed to arrive at a clump-free yet volumized look. Currently, it has been observed that women use an average of approximately 10 to 12 brush strokes to apply mascara to one pair of eyelashes. Depending upon the user and desired level of volume, this number of brush strokes can be multiplied by 2 to 4 times. Women desire a mascara composition that can achieve the appearance of thicker eyelashes with a lower number of brush strokes, i.e., less manipulation, or even improved thickness with the same amount of brush strokes. Consumers, men and women alike, also desire products that will provide the appearance of thicker hair.
Post-application expanding compositions are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,541,581 discloses a cleansing or cosmetic composition in the form of a stable, post-foaming shaving gel. The disclosed gel has a yield value sufficiently high to substantially restrain the composition from foaming for at least about 60 seconds under static ambient conditions. The '581 patentee states that an object of the invention is to provide a lather-producing composition that, in addition to possessing the desirable properties of prior art compositions, is characterized by being discharged as a stable gel that is substantially free from foaming. After it is spread over the skin and beard, the gel produces a post generating foam. The purpose of the invention is to provide a lather, in-situ, on the surface of the skin so as to facilitate shaving of facial hair. The invention is also disclosed to be useful in topical applications for cleansing. Moreover, coloring materials, such as dyes may be used if desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,405,489 discloses a process for continuously producing a post-foaming gel and for packaging same. The process comprises admixing separately metered amounts of an aqueous soap ingredient and a post-foaming agent to form an intimate mixture thereof. The mixture is passed to a filling machine for packaging the gel. The steps are affected in a continuous flow system under pressure. The mixture is maintained within the continuous flow system for a time and at a pressure and temperature sufficient to produce a post-foaming gel that is capable of continuously flowing through the system to the filling machine for packaging thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,503 is also directed to a method for forming and packaging a delayed foaming gel. The disclosed invention forms an emulsion in the filling head and then forms the delayed foaming gel in the container after it is filled therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,111 discloses a stable shaving cream gel that is asserted to possess superior foaming and after-feel characteristics. Various compatible additives which do not adversely affect the gel structure may be added in minor amounts. Coloring materials are included among the materials exemplified as suitable for such purpose. A combination of the dyes D & C Yellow #10 and F D & C Blue #1 is employed in Examples 6 through 10. They are however used in very low concentration. For example 1.2% of a 1% trituration of D& C Yellow #10 dye and 0.45% of a 1% trituration of F D & C Blue #1 dye are employed in Example 7.
Though the post-foaming compositions of the prior art have been used for shaving facial hair and though such compositions may contain minor amounts of a dye to impart to the composition a coloration more pleasing to the consumer, such compositions have heretofore found no further use.
Prior art mascara products require a great deal of manipulation to gain the desired effect of volume. Some prior art products are high viscosity or paste like and are usually comprised of waxes, high pigment loads and volatile substances. Though such prior art products may contain volatiles, such as volatile silicones or petroleum distillates, the volatiles do not function as blowing agents to promote foam formation. Such types of mascaras are hard to manipulate and consequently require excess stroking on application to the eyelashes in order to prevent clumping. Other prior art products have a lower viscosity. They use film formers and require multiple applications to build up to a desired level of volume. With all prior art mascara products, the product experiences a loss of volume after application to the eyelashes. This is due to evaporation of solvents which causes the product to actually shrink down. The composition of the present invention eliminates these deficiencies of the prior art. The composition of the present invention requires much less manipulation upon application and actually surprisingly increases volume, in a substantially uniform manner, immediately after application to the eyelashes. The properties of the composition of the present invention make it easy to evenly apply same to the eyelashes thereby eliminating clumping.
The present inventor has discovered that compositions that expand after application, such as the delayed post-foaming compositions of the prior art, can be surprisingly and advantageously modified and employed to improve the aesthetic appearance of keratin fibers, especially hair of the scalp, eyebrows or eyelashes.